Showing results by author "O'Henry" in All Categories

When Della finds she doesn't have enough money to buy a proper Christmas present for her beloved husband Jim, radical action is needed. She resolves to cut off and sell her precious hair to raise funds. Armed with the twenty dollars raised, she buys the perfect gift for Jim. But when Jim comes home with his present for her, Christmas takes an altogether unexpected turn....

This short story by O. Henry depicts the plight of a homeless person, Soapy, living in New York at the turn of the last century. A park bench is fine during the summer, but winter comes and Soapy needs a winter home. God willing to pay the price of philanthropy, Soapy determines to spend the winter months in jail. Now the problem is how to be arrested.

Bill Driscoll and Sam (we never learn his last name), a pair of turn-of-the-20th-century con men embark on quite an adventure. The pair need $2,000.00 to pull off a fraudulent town-lot scam in Western Illinois. They decide to kidnap the only son of a prominent Alabama citizen in the small town of Summit. They should've known when they grabbed their target, who was at the time throwing stones at a kitten, that it would be best to leave him alone. Particularly after he beans Bill with a brick. The situation does not improve with time. O Henry, famous for his humor, plays on words, and plot twists makes this a highly amusing short story.

A vintage collection of some of the greatest short stories ever written

A Washington, D.C., socialite, traveling in the western United States, meets an old friend, and finds herself startled to learn that his current occupation is a long way from what it was when he was in D.C.

A murderer’s fears haunt him amidst the daylight hours. But at night....

Two hardened criminals learn their plan is less than perfect when they discover the boy they’ve kidnapped is so bad, the only way his father will take him back is if they pay him a ransom.

As the title suggests, this is a collection wonderful classic short stories with a twist at the end!

These treasured stories from the most influential authors of the 19th and early 20th centuries are selected for their literary importance as well as their dramatic, oral qualities. Listen to these 10 unabridged classics by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, O. Henry, and Willa Cather.

Here are eight stories from master American writers of the 19th century. They vary from sinister tales by Ambrose Bierce - why is that window boarded up? - and a reflective moment in the life of a woman without children, but forced to look after children, to classic short stories by O. Henry and Stephen Crane. There is even an elegiac description of an eclipse by James Fenimore Cooper, author of The Last of the Mohicans.

"The Ransom of Red Chief" may be the most widely read story in grammar, middle, and high school. Young people can relate to 10-year-old Red Chief, his father, who makes the kidnappers pay him back in order to take Red Chief off their hands....

>"The Cop and the Anthem" may be the third most widely read O. Henry story in grammar, middle, and high school. "The Ransom of Red Chief" rates number one, "The Gift of the Magi" number two, and "A Retrieved Reformation" number four. Young readers enjoy this story a lot because of the hilarious plot of Soapy, the only named character, trying to get arrested so he can spend the winter in jail. Adults tend to like the ironic approach of Soapy’s potential victims....

Young readers enjoy this story a lot, because of the safecracking plot. Adults tend to like the growing up part: starting a shoe store, succeeding, getting the girl, and going straight.

"The Gift of the Magi" is not read or heard widely after one leaves high school, which is a shame, because it is such a magical story about expectations being crushed by realities, and the turn of events, which O. Henry was so masterful at achieving. The interesting twist is that these two people both sacrifice for each other, but that means neither of their gifts works out as planned. However (and O. Henry is full of howevers), the two are deeply in love and shrug it off and move on in their happiness.

Fire helt nye julefortellinger og tre klassikere i denne nyinnspillingen fra Grieg Audio. Fortalt med varme og humor som gir den rette julestemningen for hele familien.

A man searching for his lost love, finds her ghost in a New York City tenement, calling to him. SonicMovies are premium audios with strong vocal performances enhanced by music and sound effects to such an extent they sound like movies, hence, SonicMovies. Presented by Wollcott & Sheridan (WSAPL.com) / SonicMovie.net & K. Anderson Yancy.

A charming story of a band of hammy actors causing a post-performance uproar in a posh restaurant. When a gruff police sergeant arrives to quell the revelers, he determines the cause of the disturbance to be a case of unrequited love between a shy playwright and the lovely Miss Carroll, star of the show.

Collecting two classic tales by the legendary O. Henry, All-American Stories presents a humorous, wry look at America and Americans from the Old West to the blinking lights of Broadway. "An Afternoon Miracle" tells the story of a Texas Ranger, a beautiful and a scurrilous outlaw who is wreaking havoc across the plains. And "The Song and the Sergeant" is a hilarious look at scene-stealing actors and lovesick playwrights.

O. Henry is know as the master of the "surprise ending" short story. In this story two young lovers quarrel. As a result, the young man accepts a post in a far away obscure country he calls The Land of the Lotus. He finally begins to accept the fact that he will never see the love of his life again when a mysterious bottle washes up on shore and the result is a very unusual surprise ending - even for O. Henry.

"O. Henry" is the pen name of American writer William Sydney Porter whose short stories are known for their wit, warm characterization and clever, unexpected endings. The Princess and the Puma is one of porter's best, and most anthologized stories.